Amazon's voice assistant Alexa could soon start talking to you on its own

Alexa, the voice assistant for Amazon's Echo speaker, may soon be
able to speak to users unprompted, according to
TechCrunch.

Ad

Amazon has not provided a timetable for this potential update.

This would mark a significant upgrade, as Alexa currently only
speaks when when spoken to. According to
The Information, the voice assistant is set to receive an
update that would allow it to push notifications to users, either
verbally or through a lighted ring at the top of the Echo.

This would mean that users could program Alexa to notify them
when their Alexa-linked doorbell rings, or alert a user when
their smart door camera detects someone outside.

Amazon has continued to expand the capabilities of its popular
voice assistant. The e-commerce giant continues to expand the
third-party partners for Alexa,
adding skills for Spotify, Uber and others. Alexa is so
popular that companies such as
Hyundai and
BMW have integrated Alexa functionality into their connected
car platforms.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service,
looked into the popularity of the Echo and Alexa earlier this
year.

This upgrade could provide a boost to the smart home market,
which is stuck in the 'chasm' of the technology adoption curve,
in which it is struggling to surpass the early-adopter phase and
move to the mass-market phase of adoption.

There are many barriers preventing mass-market smart home
adoption: high device prices, limited consumer demand and long
device replacement cycles. However, the largest barrier is the
technological fragmentation of the smart home ecosystem, in which
consumers need multiple networking devices, apps and more to
build and run their smart home.

John Greenough, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, has
compiled
a detailed report on the U.S. smart home market that analyzes
current consumer demand for the smart home and barriers to
widespread adoption. It also analyzes and determines areas of
growth and ways to overcome barriers.

Here are some key takeaways from the
report:

Smart home devices are becoming more prevalent throughout the
US. We define a smart home device as any stand-alone object found
in the home that is connected to the internet, can be either
monitored or controlled from a remote location, and has a
noncomputing primary function. Multiple smart home devices within
a single home form the basis of a smart home ecosystem.

Currently, the US smart home market as a whole is in the
"chasm" of the tech adoption curve. The chasm is the crucial
stage between the early-adopter phase and the mass-market phase,
in which manufacturers need to prove a need for their devices.

High prices, coupled with limited consumer demand and long
device replacement cycles, are three of the four top barriers
preventing the smart home market from moving from the
early-adopter stage to the mass-market stage. For example,
mass-market consumers will likely wait until their device is
broken to replace it. Then they will compare a nonconnected and
connected product to see if the benefits make up for the price
differential.

The largest barrier is technological fragmentation within the
connected home ecosystem. Currently, there are many networks,
standards, and devices being used to connect the smart home,
creating interoperability problems and making it confusing for
the consumer to set up and control multiple devices. Until
interoperability is solved, consumers will have difficulty
choosing smart home devices and systems.

"Closed ecosystems" are the short-term solution to
technological fragmentation. Closed ecosystems are composed of
devices that are compatible with each other and which can be
controlled through a single point.

In full, the report:

Analyzes the demand of US consumers, based off of survey
results

Forecasts out smart home device growth until 2020

Determines the current leaders in the market

Explains how the connected home ecosystem works

Examines how Apple and Google will play a major role in the
development of the smart home

Some of the companies mentioned in this report include Apple,
Google, Nest, August, ADT, Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner Cable,
Lowe's, and Honeywell.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these
options:

Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS
Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to
this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive
reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and
much more. >>
START A MEMBERSHIP

Purchase the report and
download it immediately from our research store.
>>
BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this
report, you've given yourself a powerful advantage in your
understanding of the smart home market.